


There, There

by princessblu



Series: tiny tales [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Chad Charming Centric, Character Growth, Doug is mentioned, Doug/Evie mentioned once, F/M, Implied Harry/Uma, Past Chad/Audrey Rose (Disney: Descendants), Post D3, Post Royal Engagement Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26537056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessblu/pseuds/princessblu
Summary: Chad Charming II wasn’t anticipating to find a whole lot of there...there when he began to dance with the numerous things plaguing his mind. Feeling emotions he hadn’t felt before, it turns out that his thoughts happen to be better company than he well—thought.
Series: tiny tales [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876534
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	There, There

**Author's Note:**

> I think that Chad should have gotten a little more development, similar to my thoughts on every character in this franchise. Thus, I decided to explore the potential of character growth. This tale takes place during Mal and Ben’s Engagement Party. Chad ponders the changes that seemingly everyone in Auradon has readily welcomed, everyone except for himself.

With his glass in hand, Chad resorted to the outer rim of the plaza, keeping to himself. After sharing a dance with Audrey and listening to her sort through her feelings, she kindly informed him that she wasn't interested in his advances. It took him more than just a moment to comprehend exactly the words that spilled out of her mouth. 

Her statement had left him feeling something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Rejection? Disappointment? Numbness? Perhaps all of the above. Chad knew for a matter of fact that he wasn’t supposed to feel this way as the Crown Prince of Cinderellasburg. As told by his father, it was not an option to allow anyone to take advantage of you, to stand you up or to choose less than. However, all of those scenarios had come to play in the last few years since the Villain Kids arrived in Auradon. 

Evie easily chose the half-dwarf over him, Audrey had taken advantage of his desperation for her to accept him and now just stood him up at what was being deemed the most exciting event thus far in modern history. With Ben joining forces with the Isle for the first time in over twenty years, there was a newfound hope between both groups to come together as one and move forward. Yet, Chad didn’t feel any of it. The excitement that pulsed throughout the plaza hadn’t hit him and at this pace wasn’t going to. He now understood exactly what Audrey had to endure for the past few years with Mal at Ben’s side. He watched from afar the girl he had genuinely fallen head over heels over, clinging to the pirate with an outdated poet shirt and horrid red cape. 

He hoped to never admit that he felt a surge of jealousy bubble up in his stomach just watching the two laugh and flirt about. It hurt. It really did. Chad was never one to feel hurt or to let someone else manipulate his emotions, but now that it was happening to him, he felt a degree of guilt. The gut-wrenching feeling that tugged at his heart was essentially what he put so many girls through during his years at the Preparatory Academy. 

He wasn’t going to admit that he had been a jerk, but he could...maybe...see how his actions did have consequences. Beginning to wander about the space, his mind losing itself in thoughts, Chad felt out of place. 

This wasn’t his event. He wasn’t on good terms with really anyone here. He questioned why he had even stayed after the barrier came down. Subconsciously, it had been because of his skepticality of whether opening the barrier so soon had been a good idea. I mean, weren’t there still villains out there willing to commit villainous crimes for the sake of revenge? 

He lifted the glass still cupped in his hand to his mouth and drank the rest of the beverage leaving no trace of any liquid left. Deciding to rid himself of the constant pondering he'd taken part in for the last half-hour or so, he approached the hor d'oeuvres table and refilled his glass. 

Beginning to back away from the table, he spun around and was met face to face with a sea of teal. A glare found its way on the young woman’s face as she crossed her arms. He stared at her for a bit, trying to figure out what she was going to do. He stepped away from the punch, the young woman huffing and grabbing a glass of her own. 

“Oh, I was blocking you,” Chad remarked. The young woman in head-to-toe teal glanced his way. 

“Oh, we’re you?” She commented back, snarkily, Chad still trying to identify where he had seen her before. She looked similar to the girl on the posters Mal had plastered all around Auradon in search of Uma, but if this was her, compared the image, he was sure Mal had exaggerated her legs to look like tentacles. 

“You look different compared to the posters around here. You’re Uma, aren’t you?” 

“That’s my name,” Uma said, ending her sentence with a ring. She finished filling her glass and picked a piece of cheese up from one of the trays with a fork. Biting the cheese off, she quietly hummed in delight. “And you are?” 

“Chad Charming the second. My father reigns over the region of Cinderllasburg. I’m sure my name has travelled around,” he said with a smug smile and quick sip of his drink. He glanced over to find Uma’s reaction, there being nothing but a growing grin. A hint of a giggle was heard before she erupted in laughter. 

“I’ve never heard of you or Cinderllasburg. But I’ll be sure to pass the sentiment along to those I meet,” Uma commented, sarcasm filling her voice. She eyed the rest of the party, finding her eyes stuck on her first mate. Unconsciously, a frown emerged and covered Uma’s otherwise youthful face. 

“They sure are having a great time,” Chad sighed turning away from the same pair Uma had been starting at as well. She didn’t respond as she looked to where Chad was grabbing a small plate of little bread rounds and layering on globs of grey stuff. Uma turned away from the Prince and tried to not let her thoughts take up too much of her time. Why was he bothering to speak with her? She supposed that he would have been quick to run as he had done days ago in the woods. 

“I guess. He’ll be done with his little fling by the end of the party anyway. That’s what Harry does. Flirts with everyone, notices me again, flirts with me, repeat.” 

Chad took a bite of his bread and wondered why Uma allowed Harry to continue the pattern. Obviously he could tell she hated it when he flirted around, but if she felt that way, why didn’t she have an issue with it? He pondered whatever dynamics they had going on, digging himself into a hole of confusion. “I don’t mean to pry,” Chad started as he swallowed the food in his mouth. “But why do you let Harry do what he does? You seem to hate it.” 

Uma’s head turned with speed, the Prince suspecting she could’ve gotten whiplash. Her eyes gained a fierce stare and she put her glass on the table where they stood. She rose on her toes and pointed a finger at his chest. “Are you implying that I like Harry?” 

“No, I never said that. But I would say that you do.”

Uma stared at Chad long and hard before returning to her height and crossing her arms. She surveyed the rest of the party and huffed to herself. “And why exactly would I tell you anything?” 

“I mean I still have feelings toward Audrey and it annoys me to see her with someone else. She’d led me on for so long and for her to just tell me that she’s not interested and go off with that pirat—Harry. It’s devastating!” Chad cried, throwing his hand up. He took the last piece of bread and ate it, setting his plate down on the table where Uma’s glass still sat. 

“That’s unfortunate. But again, it’s nothing to worry about. Why don’t you just go pick up a new Princess? There seems to be a lot of ‘em here who are drooling over Beast Boy and Mal.” 

“How do you know that it’s nothing to worry about? Audrey’s can easily wrap anyone around her finger. And I should know. She’s done it so many times.” 

Uma rolled her eyes and smirked before turning her body to face Chad once more. “Look, Charming. I know Harry like the back of my hand. He’s. My. First. Mate.” She took a sip of her drink and placed it back near Chad who was left muddled by her words. He watched her stride across the room and within minutes, Harry was no longer so fascinated by Audrey. Once again, Uma approached Chad, Harry’s arm on her shoulder. 

“Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious,” Chad pointed out, Uma poking the blob of grey on the table with the spoon left in the dish. She took a small spoonful and plopped it on the plate Harry held. Speaking of whom, he had gained a clenched jaw that formed a crooked kind of smile. Chad cocked an eyebrow at the pirates' demeanour. 

“Ye been eyeing my capt’n?” Harry inquired with amusement. He inched toward the Prince, Chad beginning to step back a bit and cower at his advances. Uma seemed not to be too bothered, a smug smile emerging across her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she had to stop herself from laughing.

“Harry, chill out. He isn’t a threat. Oh, and I told you the little fling wouldn’t last another minute, Charming.” Uma placed the few crackers in her hand that she retrieved with the tongs and scooped a bit of the grey stuff and ate it. Her face twisted and she drew on a sour look. Harry quickly stole a cracker from her and tried it himself, his face lighting up in disgust as well. 

“It’s horrid! It taste just like the week old Goblin Soup.” 

“Goblin soup?” Chad asked, his esophagus burning up from the almost resurgence of the food he had finished swallowing. Uma slapped her hand over Harry’s mouth as the pirate tried to explain to the Prince what exactly the soup was made of, but to save herself and assumably Chad from a bout of discomfort, she stopped him while he was ahead. 

Setting their eyes back on the party scene, Harry decided to try each and every item, hoping to find anything better than the grey stuff. The music playing eventually stopped and the three young adults turned their attention to the balcony where Mal and Ben stood. The trumpets sounded and Lumiere emerged. 

“King Ben and Lady Mal would like to invite each and every one of you to the dance of the evening before the delightful event comes to a close.” 

Lumiere sounded the trumpet again and a slow orchestra piece began to fill the atmosphere. With the dusk beauty of the sky arriving, the three watched couples and other pairs make their way to the main floor and begin to dance. Chad crossed his arms and found his thoughts on the scene before his eyes. He’d never been the one to be alone, missing out on all the fun of an event. In all his years, Chad Charming II always had a date or dance partner. But like everything these days, everything he knew seemed to be changing. He watched a potential suitor offer Audrey a dance. Hurting, he shuffled his feet, and adjusted the cufflinks on his suit jacket. 

This feeling would definitely be one to go down in his books as the worst thing of all. 

“It’s a bummer there’s no one to dance with you. I mean I’m sure someone will come around to it or somthin’,” Uma offered. Chad wasn’t half as bad as she initially assumed. Given the way he dressed, behaved and the way he introduced himself, she was surprised at the fact that he didn't turn out to be a typical Prince. Well—he seemingly was still the same old Chad Charming, but of course she wasn’t yet aware of his past. 

“Would you?” Chad blurted. Uma gave him a glare, Harry stepping between the two of them. Chad tried to retract his statement, but neither of them would let him. He surprised himself in that he never expected those words to spill out of his mouth. He silently questioned why he’d said what he said. Chad repeatedly tried to get through his mind that it had been a joke in the spur of the moment, however even he couldn’t lie to himself as there was an ounce of truth in everything. Uma was a villain kid. She tried to destroy his home. But she had also given him some degree of attention to occupy his feelings of rejection. Oddly enough, she wasn’t who he had thought her to be. 

“Sorry, but no. Maybe Harry?” Uma commented, glancing to the pirate who stood protectively in front of her. He lingered around to Chad and inspected the Prince. With a scorning snort in slight amusement, Harry’s light and intimidating laughter brought Chad to instantly wish he hadn’t involved himself in mingling with the pirates. 

Chad turned back to the plaza, facing the crowd again, watching each couple sway to the slow music. He wished to be in that position. To feel someone’s hands on his shoulders, guiding him through the space. But was he looking for love, or just someone to hurt and manipulate for the night to do it all again at the next event? 

Love wasn’t real and it didn’t last forever, in the terms of his father. A man who had once been in love with his mother until King Beast took the kingdom into his own hands. Jealousy and rage were what drew the infamous couple away. Though still together, Chad had gotten his influence from their dynamics. The light of their dysfunction had come to hit him in the face right before he started at Auradon Prep. Unsure of what to do with the things he was surely feeling, he distracted himself with another hors d'oeuvre off of the table. Only a few moments passing and the music becoming white noise, Chad’s thoughts returned. 

He was desperate to get rid of this state of being. These feelings were unlike anything before and he hated the way his mind worked without his consent.

Audrey had caused him to hurt as he constantly chased after her approval that he just learned hours ago had been nonexistent. She had left him empty. But it was better to be alone than to be with someone who while dating him, still made him feel alone. Perhaps for right now he was better off this way.

As the music came to an end, applause erupted and so did the fireworks lit in Auradon’s colors. The celebration concluded and he was relieved. Uma and Harry to his surprise had departed from the table minutes ago, leaving just him and Jane to the area. Fairy Godmother migrated toward her daughter, beginning to help put things away. Chad threw his things away, a piece of him wishing Uma and Harry had stuck around so he could thank them for… for something. Actually, they had been responsible for diverting some of his negative attention that had been focused on his coming lifetime without Audrey. 

He didn’t want to keep holding onto the feelings for her that she didn’t reciprocate. They were useless at this point. Someday, sooner than later, someone would be more than willing to receive the care that he had invested in the Princess of Auroria. But for right now, perhaps Chad needed this time to reflect on these foreign feelings and venture out to find who he was inside. Apart from being the slightly arrogant player whose sole purpose was to do things with personal gain in mind, he didn’t have anything to show. Sure excelling in sports and having impeccable style were also traits of his, but there was still nothing concrete. 

As he exited the entrance of the Auradon-Isle Bridge, he passed by Heroes and Isle folk alike, noticing some of the few familiar faces from Auradon Prep. To his far left was Evie, hand in hand with Doug who had given her his jacket. Doug gave him a small smile, and mouthed a cordial goodnight before Evie dragged him along to say a few words to Carlos and Jay who quickly caught up to the couple. 

Deep in his heart, Chad wanted to be in their crew. He wanted to turn back the clock and give them a chance like his old roommate, Doug, had. He wanted to see through Audrey’s treatment of him and see through his own misjudgements. If he would have been smarter, he might have avoided making frenemies with the entire school population. At this point, his only safe bet was to journey back to Cinderellasburg and find comfort in the people he knew best. Without the fallback of Auradon Prep and his decision to do a gap year, it was about time that he developed into his own identity. The world awaited him. 

“Hey, you’re Chad Charming right?” A short girl with glasses and two auburn space buns asked him, her head tilting upwards to meet his eyes. Surprised at the sudden inquiry and the young girl in front of him, he stepped back a bit. 

“I am. Has my name travelled around here that fast?”

“Huh? I just overheard Uma mention you to Harry when they left the ‘hour-durves’ table. You’re my cousin. I’m Dizzy Tremaine. Granny’s about to leave for the night if you wanted to say hi,” she giggled a bit, seemingly excited to see him. 

The name Tremaine of course was familiar to Chad and he had to hold back his wincing. Wanting to leave the situation, he cocked his head, trying to find the words to conversate. The girl hadn’t left yet and was waiting for a response. “Yeah, that’s great. You know Dizzy, I wasn’t planning to stay, so…” 

“Yeah, that’s fine. I have to go find Evie so I can go home, but she’s probably still talking,” Dizzy said, putting up air quotes. “To her true love. They were together the entire time. Anyways... I just wanted to say hi since we’re family. See ya.” The young girl started to go on her way toward the number of cars in the dark of the street where rideshares, carriages and buses were stationed to pick up attendees. Oddly enough, Chad acted in the moment, calling after her. 

“Wait! Here, let me help you find her,” he offered, Dizzy turning around and stopped in her tracks. For the umpteenth time that night, Chad surprised himself. “Hey, it’s dark and I don’t want to be responsible for you getting in the wrong car or something.” 

Dizzy smiled a toothy grin and skipped to him, gladly holding onto his arm. Awkwardly walking out toward the array of cars, Chad used his height to search for the woman in blue he had seen just earlier. As the unlikely pair surveyed the space, Dizzy seemed to get worried and Chad felt her fingers tapping on his forearm. 

“Yeah, sorry. I don’t know where she is. I bet she’s looking for you too,” Chad commented, Dizzy looking up at him. She nodded in agreement. He led her to one of the empty benches, watching for any of the tipsy guests that were looking for their correct rides. She let go of him and placed her hand under her chin, her elbow now resting on the armrest of the bench. 

“So, you’re pretty rich, huh? Do you get to have ice cream anytime you want in your castle?” Dizzy asked, Chad glancing to where she looked up at the sky, the stars beginning to shine. 

“Yeah, I used to. I actually haven't been at my parent’s castle in awhile. You like ice cream or something?” 

“You bet I do! Cotton candy and a scoop of birthday cake with gummy bears is my favorite. Evie took us the day we got here. Auradon is pretty neat. I like it here.” 

“It’s decent. I mean better than where you’re from I assume,” Chad said.

Dizzy agreed, nodding her head. She started to twiddle her thumbs as a few of those tipsy attendees made more noise than she had expected. She jumped at their strange actions, Chad hoping Evie was around somewhere. He wasn’t good with kids, especially not the child of his familial enemy.

“It’s much better. Do you have a phone? Could we call her?” 

Mentally face-palming himself, Chad realized he should have taken the initiative to do so. Pulling out his phone encased in pale blue, he scrolled to the number pad for Dizzy to call Evie. He hoped she remembered the blue-haired woman’s number, considering that the last time he contacted Evie was to meet under the bleachers an hour before the big Tourney game. He wasn’t keen on Dizzy having to scroll to Evie’s contact and possibly encounter why Chad kept his distance from her pseudo-sister. 

Luckily, Dizzy knew the number and waited for Evie to pick up as the phone dialed. The phone went straight to voicemail, Dizzy ultimately leaving a message. The pit in his stomach grew as he wished that Evie would appear and come get Dizzy.

He stood up to look over the many heads in the plaza, his eyes finding a head of blue. His excitement rose and he looked down to Dizzy. Standing up on the bench quickly, he waved his hands enthusiastically and called out for Evie. She didn’t answer, Chad calling her again. Dizzy then stood on the bench, not reaching his height, but continuing to wave her hands and call out for her guardian. 

When Evie finally noticed their efforts, she hastily made her way toward the two who now lowered themselves from standing on the bench. With open arms, Evie greeted Dizzy. The girl gladly hung onto Evie and began to tell her about how worried she had been. Not long into her story did Chad’s name come up and if his entire night hadn’t been odd, Evie played into the night’s theme, acknowledging him.

“He was so nice this entire time. Do you know Chad, Evie? I bet you do.” 

“Yes, I do, Dizz. Thanks for, uh, staying with her. I had been trying to locate each one of them. Anyway, have a goodnight, Chad.” Evie said with a small smile. 

“Yeah, thanks. Oh, and we're cool right? Everything in high school...that’s over—you know since we graduated and—”

“It’s definitely in the past,” Evie interrupted, uncomfortable discussing anything regarding her past with Chad, considering that Dizzy was around. She smiled, her teeth actually showing this time. Chad agreed, giving a short wave to Dizzy who had been excitedly waving her hand. She called to him that she’d see him around and soon disappeared with Evie into one of the carriages. 

Watching the people all go, belonging to someone and returning home, Chad walked along the sidewalk to the Main Street, cars whizzing by. His apartment was a few blocks away, it being in one of the summer housing buildings for students. The walk was not long, but in that time, he spent it thinking about Evie, Dizzy, Uma, Harry and Audrey. Certainly Dizzy had been unusual company, but she had distracted himself from the looming thought of his identity and where to go from here. 

And that, he didn’t know. Chad didn’t have the answer. Unless it had to do with the things he was passionate about which was a limited selection, he never seemed to truly know the answer. As he had been doing for the last few years, probably over a decade now, he was fooling those around him, including himself. Facing the reality of who he had become, that night, Chad Charming II felt it was about time to change that.

**Author's Note:**

> After we see Harry get pulled away by Audrey, I wondered where Chad had gone since we didn’t see him after Break This Down. This was my third time writing Huma and first time writing Chad, so hopefully I did a decent job with them. Thank you for reading.


End file.
